The Yin and Yang of a CMA Nomination

It’s just an honor to be nominated. Isn’t that what every artist says about every category at every award show?

And Kacey Musgraves is no different. Of course, she’s honored to have her Golden Hour recognized by the Country Music Association with an album of the year nomination. But. It’s not all rainbows and sunshine. “Though I’m extremely honored to be nominated, I have to say that the number of females included still doesn’t satisfy me — especially considering the fact that I feel that we’re in a current time where more females are making good music,” Musgraves tells Billboard.

She is the only female in the category this year. Much like five years ago, when she was the only female in the new artist of the year category, and she won. Since then, Musgraves maintains that not much has changed except for the fact that the music coming from women is better than ever in her opinion. “I’ve seen more women writing more varied lyrics and being more than just a big voice or a pretty face, as opposed to years in the somewhat recent past.

“I’ve seen indications of the genre opening its mind, but unfortunately no hard proof yet in a lot of areas that matter,” she said.

While nobody in the music business claims to have a firm grasp on how to forever solve the problem, Musgraves knows that it’s the love of money that is the root of all evil. “I think the basic root of this issue stems from fear and greed. The fear that money will be lost if something different doesn’t succeed,” she said. “That is so dangerous to a wonderfully rich and beautifully historic genre that, at its core, has traditionally always celebrated the underdog.”

Golden Hour is up against Chris Stapleton’s From A Room: Volume 2, Keith Urban’s Graffiti U, Thomas Rhett’s Life Changes, and Dierks Bentley’s The Mountain. Tune in to the 52nd Annual CMA Awards on Nov. 14 to see which one will be named album of the year.